‘Woollen underwear is the best safeguard against sudden changes in temperature. High goloshes or ‘rubber boots’ are desirable, as the unpaved streets of the towns are almost impassable in spring and autumn; in winter felt overshoes or ‘arctics’ are also necessary. A mosquito-veil is desirable in E. Siberia and Manchuria during the summer. It is desirable to carry a revolver in Manchuria and in trips away from the railway.’
Karl Baedeker Russia with Teheran, Port Arthur and Pekin, 1914
The best advice today is to travel as light as possible. Some people recommend that you put out everything you think you’ll need and then pack only half of it. Remember that unless you’re going on an upmarket tour, you’ll be carrying your luggage yourself.
CLOTHES
For summer in Moscow and Siberia pack thin clothes, a sweater and a raincoat. In every hotel you will be able to get laundry done, often returned the same day. Take shirts and tops of a quick-drying cotton/polyester mixture if you are going to wash them yourself.
Winter in Russia and northern China is extremely cold, although trains and most buildings are kept well-heated: inside the train you can be quite warm enough in a thin shirt as you watch Arctic scenes pass by your window. When you’re outside, however, a thick winter overcoat is an absolute necessity, as well as gloves and a warm hat. It’s easy to buy good quality overcoats/jackets in Beijing. If you’re travelling in winter and plan to stop off in Siberian cities along the way you might consider taking thermal underwear. Shoes should be strong, light and comfortable; most travellers take sturdy trainers. On the train, Russians discard their shoes and wear flip flops – the type you can wear with socks. This is a good idea and you can buy them at any station or on virtually any street. Russians also wear track-suits throughout the journey, while the Chinese might resort to pyjamas.
If you forget anything, clothes are expensive in Japan, cheap but shoddy in Russia, cheap and fashionable in Hong Kong, and very cheap in China.
LUGGAGE
If you’re going on one of the more expensive tours which include baggage handling, take a suitcase. Those on individual itineraries have the choice of rucksack (comfortable to carry for long distances but bulky) or shoulder-bag (not so good for longer walks but more compact than a rucksack). A zip-up holdall with a shoulder strap or a frameless backpack is probably the best bet. It’s also useful to take along a small daypack for camera, books etc. Since bedding on the train and in hotels is supplied you don’t need to take a sleeping-bag even when travelling in winter, although some travellers prefer to carry their own sleeping sheet (a sheet used inside a sleeping bag).
GENERAL ITEMS
Essentials
A money-belt is essential to safeguard your documents and cash. Wear it underneath your clothing and don’t take it off on the train, as compartments are very occasionally broken into. A good pair of sunglasses is necessary in summer as well as in winter, when the sun on the snow is particularly bright. A water bottle (two-litre) which can take boiling water is essential as is a mug (insulated is best), spoon and knife.
Useful items
The following items are also useful: a few clothes pegs, adhesive tape, ball-point pens, business cards, camera and adequate supplies of film (or memory cards for a digital camera), torch (flashlight), folding umbrella, games (cards, chess – the Russians are very keen chess players – Scrabble etc), lavatory paper, calculator (for exchange rates), notebook or diary, penknife with corkscrew and can-opener (although there’s a bottle opener fixed underneath the table in each compartment on the train), photocopies of passport, visa, air tickets, etc (keep them in two separate places), sewing-kit, spare passport photographs for visas, string (to use as a washing-line), the addresses of friends and relatives (don’t take your address book in case you lose it), tissues (including the wet variety), universal bathplug (Russian basins usually don’t have a plug), washing powder (liquid travel soap is good) and hand soap. Some people take along an electric heating coil for boiling a mug of water when staying in a hotel. A compass is useful when looking at maps and out of the window of the train. Earplugs are useful on the train and in noisy Chinese hotels. Don’t forget to take a good book (see p49).
It’s also a very good idea to bring things to show people: glossy magazines (the more celebrity pictures the better), photos of your family and friends, your home or somewhere interesting you have been. Everyone will want to look at them, and will often get out photos of their own to show you; the Chinese in particular adore looking at photographs of people. This is a great way to break the ice when you don’t speak much of the local language.
Gifts
The Russians are great present givers (see p84), and there’s nothing more embarrassing than being entertained in a Russian home when you have nothing to offer in return. Cakes and chocolates can be bought locally, or better, bring things that are harder for Russians to get, such as postcards or souvenirs of your country. Foreign coins and badges are also good, as Russia is full of collectors.
It is essential to ensure that you have things to share while you’re on the train, such as chocolate biscuits, sweets or other snacks. If you’re trying to impress a Russian with chocolate it has to be good, since Russian chocolate, the Red October brand in particular, can be excellent. Red October’s Gold Label bar has been on the market since 1867.
Provisions
Though the menus in Russian restaurant cars are sometimes long, often they’ll only have a few items on the list: soup, a meat dish and a few refrigerated salads. Beer, chocolate and biscuits are generally available. There’s also a good selection of things to eat available from hawkers on station platforms along the way.
It’s wise to buy some provisions before you get on the train, especially if you’re going the whole way without a break. Take along fruit, cheese and sausage; you can almost always buy bread, tomatoes, boiled eggs, boiled potatoes, soft drinks and beer on the platform. Vodka is not sold on station platforms, but Russians always know where to find it! If you’re sharing a compartment with Russians, they’ll probably insist you share their food. To refuse would be rude. You should obviously offer some of your food as well, though often it will not be accepted as they will see you as their guest.
Some travellers bring rucksacks filled with food, though it’s more realistic to bring just some biscuits and tea-bags or instant coffee (with whitener and sugar if required); hot water is always available from the samovar in each carriage. Other popular items include drinking chocolate, dried soups, tinned or fresh fruit, fruit-juice powder, peanut butter, Marmite or Vegemite, chocolate, crackers and pot noodles. If you forget to buy provisions at home there are Western-style supermarkets in both Moscow and Beijing where you can stock up with essentials.
Medical supplies
Essential items are: aspirin or paracetamol; lip salve; sunscreen lotion; insect repellent (vital if you’re travelling in summer); antiseptic cream and some plasters/bandaids; an anti-AIDS kit containing sterile syringes and swabs for emergency medical treatment. Note that Western brands of tampons and condoms are not always easily available in Russia or China. Bring an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses if you wear them.
You may want to take along something for an upset stomach (Arrêt, for example) but use it only in an emergency, as changes in diet often cause slight diarrhoea which stops of its own accord. Avoid rich food, alcohol and strong coffee to give your stomach time to adjust. Paradoxically, a number of travellers have suggested that it’s a good idea to take along laxatives. For vaccination requirements, see pp50-1.
Mobile phones, laptops and music players
Internet cafés are available in every city along the Trans-Siberian route. If you do choose to bring a laptop, be aware that in Russia and Mongolia you’ll probably be the only person on the train who has one, and it’s probably not wise to use it or charge it until you’re inside a hotel.
Many travellers bring mobile phones on the train, including Russians, and these can be charged using outlets in the carriages. If you have a universal tri-band phone (most are), it pays to pick up a SIM card from a Russian mobile company if you are spending a lot of time in the country. These are usually available for free; all you pay for are the credits. Your phone will be registered in the city where you buy it, and while local calls there are cheap, roaming charges once you leave that region can get expensive. The cheapest Russian mobile company is Megafon, but they have no coverage between Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk. Beeline covers more cities. MTS covers nearly the whole country but is the most expensive.
Portable CD and tape players are commonly used, so an iPod doesn’t look too conspicuous. Many travellers won’t leave home without them.
Photographic equipment
Many Russians and Chinese have digital cameras, so there’s no need to feel self-conscious about using one on the train. Batteries can be charged on board from outlets in the carriages. Every city along the route has digital print shops, and in most internet cafés the staff will burn your photos onto a CD for you if you bring a USB cable. Many travellers on long journeys carry portable hard drives for storing photos.
If you shoot with film, bring more than you think you’ll need, as you’ll find there’s a lot to photograph. Don’t forget to bring some faster film for shots from the train (400 ASA). It’s wise to carry all your film in a lead-lined pouch (available from camera shops) if you are going to let them go through Russian X-ray machines at airports.
Most major brands of film are available in Russia cities, but slide or high/low ASA film may be difficult to find outside Moscow and St Petersburg. In the large cities in Siberia and China, you can have your film processed in one hour and the quality is acceptable. In Ulan Bator there are plenty of developers with imported machines. Film development is naturally of a high standard in Japan but, unless you request otherwise, prints will be small.
Photography from the train The problem on the train is to find a window that isn’t opaque or one that opens. They’re usually locked in winter so that no warmth escapes. Opening doors and hanging out will upset the carriage attendants if they catch you; if one carriage’s doors are locked try the next, and remember that the kitchen car’s doors are always open. Probably the best place for undisturbed photography is right at the end of the train: ‘No one seemed to mind if we opened the door in the very last carriage. We got some great shots of the tracks extending for miles behind the train’. (Elizabeth Hehir, The Netherlands).
MONEY – see also p76
With certain exceptions, you will have to pay for everything in local currency (roubles in Russia, RMB/yuan in China). Russian hotels must accept roubles, even though some set their rates in dollars or euros.
There are abundant, well-signposted, 24-hour international ATMs in all major cities along the Trans-Siberian, and in Beijing. Most accept Visa, MasterCard and other major cards and give cash advances from your own account, in local currency. This is the most convenient way to get by without carrying a huge stash of cash. Cards are also accepted by many hotels and a growing number of guesthouses, restaurants and shops.
But there are many times when cash is essential, for example when the banks are closed or there are no ATMs, for visa fees at many embassies, and in Mongolian restaurant cars on the Trans-Siberian. It’s essential to have a stash of cash, and by far the most useful currency in Russia, Mongolia and China is US dollars. Carry only a small amount in your pocket and the rest safely under your clothing in a moneybelt (worn in bed at night as well as during the day). Keep a second stash somewhere else for emergencies. Although cash may seem more risky than travellers’ cheques many Russians carry far larger stashes around with them than you will probably have.
See p76 for tips on what kind of banknotes to bring, and on places in Russia where other currencies are commonly accepted.
In Russia you’ll only succeed in cashing travellers’ cheques at select banks, and therefore only during weekday banking hours. Few banks are interested in anything but US$ cheques. In China travellers’ cheques are accepted at better hotels, though most are very fussy about signatures and will ask for your passport, which can be a problem if you’re busy applying for visas. The exchange rate is usually slightly better than for cash, but the difference is too small to matter. You may also be asked to show your original purchase receipts. If your cheques are lost or stolen, you’re unlikely to get a swift refund or replacement.
Because of the circulation of outdated and worthless Russian bank notes, and the small difference in the legal and black markets, exchanging money on the street is not recommended.
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